Whistleblower testifies about pandemic, Inslee orders hiring freeze on state agencies, and other headlines

ON INLANDER.COM

COVER: Remembering the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens.

NEWS: Why Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, a leader of Spokane County's COVID-19 response, catches flak from both the left and right.

NEWS: How the pandemic impacts the mental health of front-line medical workers.

COVID-19

U.S. death toll
A little over 84,000 people nationwide have died from COVID-19. (Johns Hopkins University)

LIVE: Whistleblower testifies
Dr. Rick Bright, a whistleblower who was removed as head of a federal agency, is testifying before a House panel, claiming that the U.S. lacks a master plan to combat COVID-19 and save lives. (New York Times)

New cases
Four more cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Spokane County. One of them has been hospitalized. (Spokesman-Review)

Budget cuts
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered state agencies to freeze most hiring, equipment purchases, and personal service contracts as the pandemic takes a toll on state finances. (Seattle Times)

Rebuffing quarantine
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against the governor's stay-home order on Wednesday, siding with Republican lawmakers who pursued the legal challenge. (New York Times)

IN OTHER NEWS...

Playing up anger
Republicans are banking on anger against Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's coronavirus stay-home orders working for them in the November election. (New York Times)

Open for business
The Spokane Tribe Casino is reopening this Thursday with new safety protocols. (Spokesman-Review)

Returning to the fold
Coronavirus is driving health insurers back into Obamacare markets that they had once abandoned as job-based health insurance is under threat. (Politico)